


Plant a Tree on my Grave

by Writer_of_the_Dragons



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Dissociation, Gen, I want closure damn it, Identity Issues, Mentions of Death, Self-Worth Issues, but its in the past, it starts sad but it gets better I promise, literally everyone I can manage, no one dies in this promise, this fic is just me bleeding my feelings all over the page, this is a story of healing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-15 06:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18492991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_of_the_Dragons/pseuds/Writer_of_the_Dragons
Summary: It's over. It's done. So where do we go from here?(In which Link never really regains his memories and struggles to fit into the mold of someone he can barely remember.In which he learns he doesn't have to.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> What the heck is happening. I haven't attempted to write fic since high school. I haven't actually posted fic since middle school. 
> 
> This game ate me alive. This was my first Zelda game and over 145 hours on a single play-through later, I'm left with so many thoughts and emotions I had to write them down. I'm going to be up front with you, I've never finished anything in my life. Ever. So the likelihood of me abandoning this fic is high. But I'm currently riding a wave of inspiration so high I can see the horizon and hopefully it'll carry me through. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy.

The first thing they do, after the malice fades and world reshapes itself into something a little brighter, a little more familiar yet completely foreign, is raid the castle.

Link supposed it wasn't _really_ raiding, this castle belonged solely to Zelda now, and she was the one stripping it with the brutal efficiency of a woman very steadfastly _not thinking about it_ , but it still felt a little bit like robbing a grave. He had cleared out most of the monsters hiding away in the wreckage in his initial trip to the inner sanctum and the fight that could very well have been his last, but a few stragglers had managed to avoid his detection. They didn't last long. He may be tired and aching and still a little in shock over the fact that he was _alive_ and _he had done it_ , but he knew the sword better than he knew himself and Zelda hardly had a chance to glance in a monster's direction before Link was dispatching it with brutal efficiency.

Eventually she stopped looking.

Link was tempted to ask what she was doing. Or, well, he _knew_ what she was doing. She was gathering up all the useful supplies that remained within the crumbling walls of what had once been her home. Weapons, books, clothes and in one or two cases, even furniture. All of it was shoved into his Sheikah Slate without a single word passed between the two. Zelda had simply held out her hand expectantly and Link had given her the first thing he'd ever owned in this life.

But he wanted to _ask_. He wanted to know _why_. Was she not planning on rebuilding this place? Was she afraid that scavengers would steal it all before she got the chance now that the malice wasn't there to deter them? Did she just want to keep the things that held her memories as close to her as possible?

He wanted to _ask_. He wanted to know what she was thinking, to know how her mind worked, how she was processing all this. She, too, had been separated from the world for 100 years. Maybe he could relate.

But The Hero never spoke. In all the memories he had managed to scrape together of his time _before_ , all the accounts he heard, the things he read, they all pointed to the simple fact that The Hero _did not speak_. And Zelda needed The Hero.

‘Do you really remember me?’ She had asked as he stood before her, covered in blood that wasn't entirely his own and feeling like nothing was real as the dying embers of Ganon's influence on the world faded away. And Link had said yes.

He had lied.

Or, well, not really. He _did_ remember her. He had almost obsessively hunted down the places in those photos after all, almost as soon as Impa had mentioned them. He remembered her resentment, the pressure weighing her down every second of every day. He remembered her intelligence, of how the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and all the ancient Sheikah tech excited and frustrated her in almost equal measure. 

He remembered dying.

But that was it. He remembered just enough to put together the big picture. He knew the basic facts, the things that anyone who had spent any significant amount of time around her would know. But no more. 

He'd read her diary, he knew that The Hero had shared meals with her at some point, that he had opened up to her about his insecurities. That she had grown to like him as a person. But he remembered none of that. That man had died 100 years ago. All that was left was Link.

So he kept his mouth shut, kept the words gathering on the tip of his tongue locked firmly behind walls of white teeth. And he silently followed slightly behind her while keeping his eyes open for danger. Just another ghost following in the princess's wake.

Eventually they made their way up to what had once been her room and it was there that her single minded gathering finally faltered. As she entered she flinched back as if physically struck, and drew in a sharp breath that echoed in the silence. 

Link lifted a hand, unsure what exactly he wanted to do with it but knowing that he didn't want to see her in pain. But before he could find the resolve to step forward, Zelda had given herself a firm shake and marched in as if nothing had happened. Link lowered his hand and let her pretend.

She paused for a moment when she caught sight of her diary, left open on the last entry on her desk, suspiciously lacking in dust. Link felt his heart pound, wondering if she would be mad, if she'd see his actions of an invasion of privacy. But she said nothing, instead turning away from the desk altogether and heading for the half buried wardrobe in the corner. 

She had to kick debris out of the way, bits of fallen wall and bones that may or may not belong to monsters. But she got it open soon enough and before he realized what she was looking for, she was holding her own Champion's Tunic in her hands.

Link's breath caught.

When he had struck his final blow against Ganon, when the orb of light and power so bright it burned resolved itself into a familiar figure, he remembered thinking: _Oh. She's still in the dress_.

In the few memories he had managed to scrape together, that dress featured predominantly in the most negative of them. Zelda crying in the Spring of Power as the Goddess refused to answer her call. Zelda facing the Champions in failure before the world started burning. Zelda falling on her knees, covered in bruises and blood, sobbing that it was all her fault. Zelda cradling his body as he died.

He never thought the dress suited her.

The Champion's Tunic though, of all the outfits that he remembered her wearing (which, admittedly, weren't many) seemed to embody who she really was. Smart, stylish, and brutally practical. Link knew from experience that whatever fabric the blue tunics were made of, they could take a beating. It was the type of outfit someone who wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty would wear. It suited her.

He suddenly realized she was looking at him.

He pulled his gaze from the familiar blue of the tunic, resisting the urge to fiddle with his own tunic as he met her expectant gaze. He shifted uneasily. Her eyebrow raised. He hunched his shoulders.

“Well?” She said, voice light and lilting and with the slightest undercurrent of amusement in it. “Are you going to turn around and let me change or are you going to take your task of watching over me to its literal extreme?”

Link flushed and quickly turned around while ducking his head in shame. There was a long moment of silence from behind him, as if that wasn't the reaction she had been expecting from him, then the sound of shifting fabric filled the room.

Silently, Link turned her words over in his head. Examining them from all angles, trying to find a hint as to what reaction she had been searching for. He thought of the wry amusement coloring the words, the practiced formality. The mention of his 'task’ despite the fact that he had completely fulfilled every mission he had ever been tasked.

An in joke. Something she had said to The Hero, then, probably so many times that it became funny instead of frustrated. 

And of course he didn't know it.

“Much better.” Zelda's voice rang out from behind him, filled with satisfaction. 

Link cautiously turned his head, glancing at her from only the corner of his eye to make sure she was dressed before allowing himself to face her fully. She had found trousers and boots to go along with the Tunic, the dress, still smeared with dirt and blood from that night 100 years ago, was abandoned by her feet in a careless pile. She was already shoving the rest of the contents of the wardrobe into the Sheikah Slate like everything else.

She made no move to pick up the dress.

Link hovered uncertainty in the opening of the crumbled wall that served as the entrance to what was left of this room. Zelda continued her mission of storing everything she possibly could into the Slate. Honestly, he hadn't even known it would hold some of these things. Maybe it couldn't before. She'd fiddled with it for a few minutes when he gave it to her. Maybe she'd made it capable of another impossible feat on top of all the others.

What was one more?

Zelda stripped the room of all its books, all its clothes, and after a long moment of thought, even the iron fire poker leaned against the surprisingly intact fireplace grate. 

The last thing she put away was the diary. She made no mention of its open state.

Then she was off, across the archway were she was once confronted by her father over things she could not control and into the room that Link could only assume had been her lab/study. 

She faltered here too, but it was briefer this time; barely a stutter in her step before she squared her shoulders and began the same processes of raiding all over again. She made no comment on the open log here either.

Link remained silent, ghosting just behind the princess as she climbed down the wall a little more slowly than himself, but no less certainly. He followed as she continued making her way through the ruins, causally beheading a Moblin as Zelda made sure to stop at the dead husks of the Guardians scattered across the courtyard and strip them of essential parts.

Even if Ganon somehow tricked them all and rose from the grave tonight, he'd find no puppets here.

He wondered idly what Robbie was going to do with all those parts he had, now that the Guardians were dead.

That line of thought, brief and inconsequential, something never meant to carry any weight, brought home the fact that _it was over_ like a spiked boko club to the back of the head. Calamity Ganon was _gone_. And that didn't affect just them. Impa, Purah, Robbie and every other person he had met in his travels would be affected by this.

He thought about those two people at the Riverside Stable, the man who wanted nothing more than to taste the amazing food once enjoyed by the Royal Family, and the woman who wanted more than anything just to see a Royal weapon. He had taken those things to them, turning back when he was almost halfway to the Final Battle, because he had been _afraid_. He had been afraid that this time he would die for real, that he would _fail_. And if he failed, well, at least he could take comfort in the fact that he succeeded in every other mission given to him.

Even if everyone would be dead at that point.

Now though, now they could wander the crumbling walls of the castle themselves. They'd find no weapons or cookbooks here, not with Zelda efficiently stripping everything that wasn't bolted down or buried under too much rubble to bother, but they could look at the ancient tapestries, tore and half there but recognizable nonetheless. They could read the writing carved into the very stones in some rooms. This place was a monument to times long past, to a way of life only the truly old and the Zora remembered.

It was a symbol. Once of the evil that loomed ever watching over the world. Now one of hope, of defiance in the face of impossible odds. Because it held back Calamity with its princess at its core, even as Calamity clawed at the edges and sunk the very tips of its claws into the outside world. 

He wondered how people were going to react. He couldn't picture it.

...

He lost time.

It happened sometimes. He would be walking down a path and suddenly find himself in a village. Or more often, bloody and surrounded by corpses in a monster encampment. Sometimes he just. Stopped processing things. It didn't bother him much anymore. His body could still fight, even if he wasn't there to steer it.

Now however, he had someone other than himself to worry about. He could fight while practically unconscious, but could he protect?

It seemed so, because Zelda was right in front of him, straight back and steadfast, not a single wound marring her body. Link stifled the urge to sigh in relief. No reason to worry her, she didn't need to know that the body in her shadow was sometimes empty. Everything was fine.

And apparently Zelda was done.

The two of them were heading towards the front gate, crawling over the rubble where it was necessary, but no longer side tracking every few feet to retrieve things. It appeared she'd already gathered everything she could while he was… away. And now they were leaving.

It felt strange, leaving this way. Through the front door. He'd come from the back when he stormed the castle, wearing Mipha's armor and staying low in the water. He had figured it would be less heavily guarded there, and by the goddess's grace he'd found one final shrine in the docks he had emerged in. He could recognize a sign when he saw one, he knew the indications he was on the right path.

There was no reason to fear enemies now though. After Calamity, nothing could come close to challenging him. Maybe, maybe, a herd of Silver Lynals could take him down, but the chances of finding _one_ here was small after how thoroughly he had searched it, much less a whole herd. Now he could walk freely wherever he liked, head held high as he guarded Zelda's back.

Then they were out, pausing only long enough to send one last lingering glance at the crumbling walls and torn flags. Zelda looked… sad. Like she was saying goodbye to an old friend. Link just felt relieved. He had found no happiness here.

As they left the castles looming shadow, though, he felt his steps faltering. His chest felt… strange. Lighter, in a way that was both relieving and unsettling, like removing his armor after wearing it all day. He glanced back up at the towering walls and for just an instant, for one single frozen moment of time, he thought he saw five forms of flickering blue.

And then they were gone.

He glanced at Zelda while keeping his body angled at the castle walls. She hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss, she hadn't even turned when he stopped walking. Silently, acting on instinct, Link brought his fists together like Daruk had taught him.

No shield materialized.

Link released a heavy breath and seamlessly slipped back in step with the princess.

It seemed he was the only ghost left now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this whole thing continues to spiral further and further out of my control. I have no idea what is happening. This thing is writing itself.
> 
> Anyway, thanks to everyone who kudosed and bookmarked this fic last chapter. Chapter 3 is already halfway done as of the posting of this chapter so you can look forward to that one soon. I'm not making any promises beyond that though.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

It's only when they're about a half a mile away from the castle that Zelda finally turns to him and speaks.

It occurred to him now that her silence up until this point was probably unusual. Sure, _he_ was expected to be silent and stoic as if he truly were The Hero, but from what he could recall from the few memories he had scraped together, Zelda seemed perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation all on her own. In fact, it had seemed to be her natural state.

So he felt a spark of relief when she turned to him with a lost expression and admitted:

“I don't know where to go.”

The relief immediately turned to confusion.

Link stared at her blankly, unable to make sense of the concept. Was she… asking him for directions? That wasn't right. The princess led, The Hero followed. That's how things _worked_. 

But apparently Zelda interpreted his confusion for accusation because she immediately began to explain herself while he just stared at her blankly.

“I know I told you that I watched over you through your struggles, and that _is_ true. But magic is twisting and strange.” She explained, rocking from foot to foot nervously. She twined her hands together anxiously and then abruptly pulled them apart to gesture at the vast and wild land laid out before them.“I know there are things I need to do, places I need to be, but I’ve no idea where to begin. And even if I did, I wouldn't know how to get there. You may have seen the kingdom in all its entirety and so I, too, have seen glimpses. But glimpses are _all_ I’ve seen. In my mind Hyrule is still as it was 100 years ago. But that clearly could not be further from the truth.”

There's a long moment before the words register. Then the panic sets in.

Link almost forgets himself, almost asks just how much she'd seen in those 'glimpses’. He's filled with a sudden and irrational fear that she knows him as the liar he is, that he's an imposter in The Hero's skin. His heart is racing, his thoughts are in shambles, and it takes every drop of his considerable willpower to keep his face blank. But he manages, and he manages to bite his tongue before giving himself away. Surely if she knew she would have never spoken to him to begin with.

So instead he turned her confession over in his mind, working past his panic to figure out what it was she wanted from him. She… _did_ want directions? Well, she wanted _a_ direction.

She was right, there were many things she needed to do. Calamity Ganon may have been defeated, but the kingdom was still torn and scattered, only little pockets of civilization held together with stubbornness and spite remaining. Just off the top of his head he could think of a dozen tasks she needed to do, a dozen people she needed to talk to. But the question was, where to _start_.

Silently, always silently, he let his gaze drift. Gazing over the burnt field before them to the treeline beyond. She was right, he'd been just about everywhere it was possible to go. But he tended to think of locations in the terms of the people who lived there, not the places themselves. He didn't think of Zora's Domain as Zora's Domain, but rather as the place Prince Sidon lived. He thought of Rito Village as the home of Teba and Kass and all his kids. Half the time he straight up forgot the name of Kakariko Village, simply thinking of it as 'Impa's place’.

He supposed he should start there. 

His wandering eyes caught on the Sheikah Slate, now hooked on Zelda's belt instead of his own. His eyes lit up and he reached out his hand, preparing to ask the princess for it back, ready to use its map to orient himself as he'd done a thousand times before. It was only at the last moment he remembered he wasn't supposed to speak.

Lucky for him, Zelda was an old hand at interpreting nonverbal forms of communication and immediately grasped what he wanted before he could become too frustrated with himself.

“Oh! Yes, I suppose I should give this back to you, shouldn't I?” She said, easily unhooking it from her belt and handing it over. Link felt something in his shoulders loosen once it was in his hands once more. He hadn't realized how much it had unnerved him to have it out of his reach. But now its familiar weight rested in his hands, making him feel more secure from just that alone.

He glanced up to see Zelda watching him carefully.

Then she turned away.

“It makes the most sense to leave it with you now. You no doubt know how to use it even better than I at this point. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Old habit, I suppose.” She announced to thin air, carefully giving him a bit of privacy. Link felt overwhelming gratitude flood his chest.

He thought he might understand why everyone he'd met who had known her seemed to love her a little bit.

Giving himself a bit of a shake, he activated the Slate, opening the map and taking in their position and the shortest route to Kakariko Village. It was getting dark, they'd had a long day defeating the undefeatable and preserving the past, they'd need to sleep soon. There was no way they would reach the village before nightfall and Link wasn't in any mood to deal with skeletal monsters making his life harder than it had to be.

Slowly, he dragged his finger across the map.

But… if they headed for a stable, they could rest for the night. He could recover his energy on an actual bed for once and he was sure Zelda would appreciate the chance to rest after 100 years of ceaseless battle. In the morning they could take a couple of his horses out and ride the rest of the way to Kakariko under the relative safety of the sun.

Decision made, he dropped a beacon on his destination and closed the map, hooking the Slate on his belt with the ease of long familiarity. 

Then he hesitated.

Zelda was watching him expectantly. She was waiting for him to take the lead, she had _asked_ him to take the lead. The Hero didn't lead, but he listened to the princess. It would be fine. It was just until they got to Kakariko, then he could return to the relative safety of her shadow again, where eyes were less likely to be watching for mistakes. It would be _fine_.

Resolutely, he marched forward, leading the way to the Wetland Stable. Zelda followed easily in his wake.

…

By the time they stumbled up to the counter, it was well past nightfall.

The journey hadn't been that bad, honestly. The Wetland Stable wasn't very far, relatively speaking, and either of them were far from helpless. Plus, it seemed that the great boar-like beast that Calamity Ganon had chosen as is final form had scared away just about everything in a 10 mile radius, _including_ monsters. All Link had to deal with where a couple of Keese that were easily dispatched with one shot of his bow, and a few Stals that just _didn't know when to quit_.

It had been kind of… nice honestly. He'd never _led_ someone somewhere before. Someone always just, gave him a task then set him loose on the world. The only exceptions he could think of where the people who helped him confront the Divine Beast: Sidon, Riju, Teba, and Yunobo. 

Well, he supposed he _had_ led Yunobo. But, for all that the kid had a heart of gold and more bravery than he ever gave himself credit for, he wasn't the… brightest. There was a reason he'd chosen a whistle as his signal to lead him up the mountain, and it wasn't just because the sound carried well.

Not that he'd _ever_ admit that. Yunobo had enough self confidence issues as it was.

But Zelda was the ideal travel companion. She followed his directions without question, always keeping an eye out for his nonverbal cues and so was already moving by the time he thought to indicate she should. Link knew she wasn't helpless, that she could probably easily dispatch any of the weak monsters that crossed their path, but Link was used to protecting strangers on the roadside from threats like these and the thought of letting _her_ deal with them never even occurred to him until well after the fact. 

She took no offense though, simply let him deal with monsters as he saw fit and filled the air with idle chatter as they traveled. That was nice too. Link could talk. He wasn't like The Hero; words came to him easily when confronted with questions, often with a side of puns. But he spent most of his time alone in the wilderness, and he hadn't actually made a habit talking to himself. So her voice filling the air with meaningless facts about the fauna and flora of the area was… nice. Surprisingly calming.

But now they were here and Link was _exhausted_. 

“20 rupees for a regular bed, 40 rupees for a soft bed.” Lawdon, the stable master, said without looking up from the logbook in front of him. Link tilted his head a bit to catch a glimpse of the pages and realized it was a listing of all of the horses and people currently boarded. 

He easily withdrew 80 rupees from the Slate and laid them on the counter. Zelda, who was standing at his shoulder and had seemed perfectly content to continue letting him take the lead up until this point, opened her mouth to protest. Link just shook his head. He had plenty of money and a frankly ridiculous amount of gems to sell if that money began to run low. He could more than afford one night sleeping in comfort.

Besides, Zelda deserved it. A hundred years of fighting had to have taken its toll. 

A hundred years of healing sure had. 

Startled by the amount of money placed in front of him, Lawdon lifted his head. He squinted, trying to make out Link's face in the dark, before his own face lit up with recognition.

“Oh!” He exclaimed in surprise, a smile already starting to break out on his face. “It's you!”

Link tilted his head questioningly.

“When Quince said he'd heard rumors you were heading for the castle over there I was sure that'd be the last of you.” He babbled, leaning over the counter in excitement. Link found himself leaning away in surprise. “And when that… _thing_ clawed its way out of the Castle I was _sure_ we were all gonna die. But then there was this bright flash of light and when it cleared it was just _gone_.”

The man pushed himself forward until he was practically _hanging_ out the window.

“Is it true?” He asked, his voice quivering with barely restrained hope. “Is- is it really over? Is Calamity Ganon actually _gone_?”

Link. Didn't know what to say. For some reason he hadn't expected anyone to notice the fight. He thought that… well. He didn't know what he thought. He just hadn't been expecting anyone to confront him like this, or at least not anyone who wasn't intimately familiar with his history. He didn't know what to do.

Luckily, Zelda had no such problems.

“Yes.” She confirmed, simple and blunt, stepping forward so that she stood by Link's side instead of at his back. “Calamity Ganon has finally been defeated. His evil shall trouble us no more.”

There was a beat of silence as her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of their meaning. The stable master stared, still half hanging over the counter, face blank as he processed her words. To Link, it seemed like the whole world was holding its breath.

Then Lawdon began to cry.

Link's eyes widened and he looked at Zelda, silently asking what to do. But Zelda looked just as panicked as he did, and Lawdon abruptly threw himself back into his chair, raising his hands to wipe his tears. Link looked wildly around for something to distract the man with in an effort to _fix this_ , but before he could do something stupid the stable master spoke up.

“My great grandmother used to work in the castle, did you know? She lived in Castle Town.” He said, looking up at them with red puffy eyes. “She had to flee when Calamity came. She lost her first husband and the children they had together. Dad used to say that great-grandad loved her like she was the sun, but she loved him like he was a shadow on the wall.”

He sniffled.

“I just- I don't know. I never thought that we'd be free. The threat of Calamity breaking out of whatever was keeping it back and destroying everything has just. Always been there. The idea that I can go down there right now and look at what used to be my ancestor's home...”

Zelda reached forward and gently took his hand.

“I'm sure your great-grandmother's spirit is at peace now.” She offered softly, kindly. “The scars that Calamity Ganon left behind can finally begin to heal. For all of us.”

The man sniffled, looking at her hand in confusion. Then he followed it up to her face, his eyes seeming to catch on hers, and how they reflected the stable's light in such a way that it seemed they were filled with stars. He blinked rapidly and stared up at her as if she'd hung the moon in the sky just so he, personally, could read by its light. 

The moment stretched. Zelda started to look mildly uncomfortable. Lawdon didn't move.

Link awkwardly cleared his throat and pushed his rupees forward.

“Oh!” Said the man, and just like that, the moment was broken.

The stable master flushed red and wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. He seemed flustered, but grateful for the distraction.

“That's right!” He said, gathering the rupees up and quickly counting them. “Beds! Though I'm assuming some of this is to cover for the horse?”

Link blinked. Looked around at the empty air behind them. Stared back at Lawdon.

He snorted.

“Well _obviously_ you didn't bring her with you. You sent her ahead!” He picked up the logbook he had been looking at when they approached and turned it so they could better see. His finger pointed to a certain name. “Horse came running up in a right state just shy of an hour after that beast disappeared. Izra said he recognized her. With all the rumors flying about you, we figured you'd sent her ahead for some reason. She's resting in the back now.”

Link's breath caught.

Princess. Princess was okay.

Princess was the first horse he'd ever caught, way back at Dueling Peaks Stable, when he'd been high off seeing living people for the first time and the excitement of training an animal. She was a good horse, steadfast and loyal, but Link had always been painfully aware of her mortality. As a result he never rode her into battle, never rode any horse into battle really.

It was okay for him to put his own life in danger, but never another's.

So when Zelda's magic cradled him in its embrace and deposited him on Princess's back to face the physical embodiment of corruption and evil, Link leapt off and let her run free. He used the heat of the burning grass that smothered in the beast's wake to paraglide up and line up his shots, and in the back of his mind he prayed to the goddess that Princess had been smart enough to escape.

He honestly never thought he'd see her again. He should have known she was smarter than that.

Silently, he withdrew another 20 rupees from the Slate and set it on the counter.

Lawdon reached forward, moving to collect it, then hesitated. He looked up and narrowed his eyes, clearly straining to make out details in the dark. His eyes lingered on the tares in Link's armor, the blood he hadn't yet gotten a chance to wash off. He took in the bags under Zelda's eyes, the haggard look she couldn't quite hide under her regal stature. 

And he slid all 100 rupees back across the counter.

“Tonight is on the house.”

“Oh, we couldn't possibly impose on you, sir.” Zelda said, thankfully protesting when Link _couldn't_. 

But Lawdon just shook his head.

“A single night free is hardly going to break me, young lady.” He said, offering them a smile. “Besides, I've a feeling that we all owe you a great debt. This is the least I can do.”

Zelda didn't look like she knew how to respond to that and Link suddenly found he was too tired to even try. He was sore, he was tired, and he was ready to try sleeping for another hundred years, consequences be damned. 

...well maybe not that long. 

So Link thanked the stable master with a nod and graciously accepted his offer on both their behalf's. Zelda still looked like she wanted to argue, but reluctantly followed his lead. Link had thought she might; he wasn't the only one swaying on their feet.

And as the two of them settled in for the night, Link couldn't help but think that maybe he could do this. Maybe he could actually be The Hero for Zelda, for Impa, for Hyrule. 

Maybe he was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 3! Forewarning, there's a bit of body horror there at the beginning of this one, so if that sort of thing messes with you, feel free to skip down to the ellipsis break.
> 
> Also! My wonderful friend took pity on me and bought me the DLC for this game so updates are probably going to slow down quite a bit while I work my way through that. I'm still writing though! I've got about... a fourth of the next chapter done, so have no fear! More is coming!
> 
> And finally, thank you so much to everyone you who left Kudos or commented last chapter! It was all very encouraging and it meant a lot to me to know that people are actually reading this and enjoying it.

Link dreamed he was choking.

His body was covered in black ooze, black Malice, and it was _moving_. It was climbing, wriggling, forcing itself past his lips and down his throat. It coated him, crawled up his head and into his ears, his nose. It _burned_. It _corrupted_.

And yet the crowd surrounding him only watched.

He struggled to scream, to reach out, but the Malice held him firmly in place. His eyes frantically flicked over the crowd, picking out familiar face after familiar face. That stable hand he'd gathered rushrooms for once, those truffle gathering sisters that he'd saved from Bokoblins dozens of times, even Impa, her large hat slanted low to cover her eyes. But not a single one stepped forward as he drowned on dry land.

But then there was a light.

Link struggled harder, fighting the formless ooze with everything he had, trying to reach out to the blazing form parting the crowd. It was bright, so bright his eyes welled with tears, but still he fought to reach for it.

As it got closer he could make out a vague outline of a form. Long hair, slender limbs, a dress flapping in a breeze that wasn't there. Zelda. It was Zelda.

The tears pouring down his face were from relief now, joy singing in his heart at the knowledge he was saved. Zelda lifted her hand and the light _pulsed_. It _flared_ , it _blazed_ and the Malice surrounding him let out a shriek as it was burned away. 

But the light didn't stop.

Instead it caught on the edges of his skin, sinking beneath the surface and _burning_. Link _screamed_. He looked at crowd, but they only watched. He looked at Zelda, but he still couldn't make out her face. She was simply a vague figure within a cloak of power, watching dispassionately as he burned.

The pain crested and suddenly his skin was sliding of, like a lizard, like a snake. It sloughed off, hitting the ground like a discarded handkerchief and Link's consciousness went with it. He was left staring up at his body, which was standing tall and straight without him. Its stance was confident, its face was blank.

It was The Hero.

And now the crowd moved. Surging forward to embrace him, to greet him and thank him. They're voices rose with excitement and happiness as The Hero stood silently among them. They gathered around him in celebration as Link laid in a boneless puddle on the ground, unable to do anything but watch.

There was a crunch of stepping feet.

Link suddenly realized that Zelda wasn't with the crowd. She was standing over him, still blazing with power.

He still couldn't see her eyes.

She lifted her hand…

…

...and Link woke with a gasp.

Panicked, he sat straight up in the bed, patting himself down to make sure he was still whole. He felt a brief moment of fear when his fingers encountered the ridge of what felt like peeling skin, but he soon realized it was just dried and flaking blood he'd failed to wash away the previous night.

Some small part of his mind informed him he'd probably ruined the bedding.

Running his hands through his sweat slicked hair, he released a shaky breath. He was fine. It was _fine_. It had only been a dream.

He glanced to his left, taking in Zelda's peaceful form in the bed next to his. Her hair was a mess, tangled and knotted from deep sleep. Her chest rose and fell with a slow steady rhythm. 

She wasn't glowing.

Groaning, Link dragged himself out of bed. His muscles protested loudly. His whole body felt like it was one big bruise, and his eyelids were still heavy. But Link knew he wasn't going to get anymore rest after _that_. 

He never did, after nightmares.

He stumbled outside, moving on silent feet so that he didn't wake any of the other patrons. All the other beds seemed to be full, filled with peaceful sleepers. Even Lawdon seemed to have curled up somewhere during the night.

Then he was outside, breathing in the morning dew and shivering slightly. The sun was just a concept beyond the horizon, too early to have made its appearance yet. Considering how late they'd arrived last night and how early it was now, Link knew he should try to catch a bit more sleep. Instead he made his way to the nearby river and stripped.

The water helped. It ran over his blood flecked skin and wiped it clean. He dunked his head under and held his breath for as long as he could manage, just luxuriating in the feeling of the lazy current tugging on his hair. After he was done he felt at least marginally better, if still a little unsettled. 

Making his way back to the bank, he opened the Sheikah Slate and flipped through his wardrobe.

There were a lot more clothes there now, all things Zelda had packed away while stripping the castle, but Link ignored them. Instead, he flipped to the familiar blue of the Champion's Tunic and just. Stared at it.

When Impa had first given it to him, he'd worn it _constantly_. He was pretty sure that some part of him believed if he wore it long enough he'd _become_ The Hero. But as time went on and he gathered more fragments of memories yet remained the same hopeless disaster as before, he found himself wearing it less and less. It started to feel too tight, restrictive and heavy where before it had been comfortable and protective. 

Still, its defensive capabilities were unmatched, especially when blessed by the Great Fairies. He'd swallowed his discomfort and put it on before confronting Ganon. It had seemed poetic in a way, to wear The Hero's clothes when confronting his only failure. 

Now he wondered if he was insulting his memory. 

Frowning, he flicked over to his Hylian outfit and withdrew it instead, though he forwent the hood in favor of his Amber Earrings. He told himself he wasn't avoiding the Tunic. It was just that it had been badly torn during the fight. It would make much more sense to wear his standard traveling gear until he had a chance to ask the Great Fairy to repair it.

He almost believed it.

Now properly bathed and dressed, he gazed at the horizon, trying gauge how much time had passed. Judging by the fact that he could actually see the sun now, a fair amount of time. But due to the fact that it hadn't yet managed to make its way completely over the horizon, it hadn't been nearly enough. 

He contemplated making breakfast, but the thought of eating made his stomach twist in knots. Abandoning that idea, he glanced over at the stable, looking for inspiration. He found it.

His steps light and quick, he made his way over to the stalls where they boarded the horses. He pulled an apple from the Slate, then glanced around, finding what he was looking for almost immediately. He picked up a well used horse brush, no doubt left out by the stable hand when they left to get some rest last night, then opened the stall.

Out trotted Princess, tossing her head and sending him an almost accusatory look. Smiling sheepishly, Link offered her the apple.

She stared him down for a long moment, making sure he knew she was mad at him. Link squirmed a bit guilty, more than aware if _he'd_ been dragged into a battle he wasn't expecting then abandoned to make his own way to safety, he'd be mad too. Fortunately, Princess wasn't one to hold grudges, and with one last irritated flick of her tail she conceded and took the apple gently from his hand.

Permission now given, Link gave a happy little hum and began the process of untangling all the wilting flowers woven into her hair. 

Princess was a beautiful horse, a solid black color with tufts of white around her feet and nose. Her mane was just as black as the rest of her and Link always took great joy in weaving colorful flowers in it to make her stand out. A stable girl, Breen, had offered to teach him how to do it himself when she saw how his eyes lit up when he caught sight of her work and Link would be forever grateful to her. The repetitive motions of brushing out the hair, the careful consideration that went into picking each flower, it all made him feel calm, like all the pressures weighing on him were miles away.

And that was just what he needed right now.

As the sun lazily pulled itself over the horizon, Link carefully weaved flowers of pink, yellow, and blue into Princess's hair. After a moment of consideration, he also weaved a bit of nightingale in as well. Normally he'd save it for potions and such, but he knew of plenty of places he could find more. In fact, he was pretty sure some grew around this very stable. Either way, the glowing blossoms were sure to look stunning if they were still out riding by nightfall. 

That reminded him of the fact that Zelda would _also_ need a steed. 

Frowning, he looked over the stalls again, taking in the other horses. He was pretty sure he'd left one of his horses here, which was why he choose _this_ stable instead of Riverside Stable. But he couldn't quite recall which one he'd…

His eyes caught on a flash of white. 

Oh.

He remembered now.

He offered one last apple to Princess as a reward for her cooperation, then left her to graze. He wasn't afraid of her running off; if she hadn't during that fight, she never would. She'd be ready and waiting when it was time to leave.

Almost reluctantly, he opened another stall door.

Gale burst out with an impatient wicker. Princess looked over from her grazing spot at the noise, only to instantly dismiss him with a flick of her tail when she noticed who it was. Gale didn't seem to care, he simply tossed head and trotted a circle around Link before coming to a rest in front of him and snorting in his face. Link smiled despite himself.

“Yes yes.” He muttered, forgetting, if only for a moment, the need for silence. There was no one to hear, anyway. “You're going _riding_.”

Gale whinnied, looking like he was two seconds from rearing up and galloping away in excitement, but he held himself back. Instead he nudged Link's hand, clearly looking for a treat.

Link obliged, pulling yet another apple out and letting the horse take it from his hand. Gale was less careful about it than Princess, but he was still gentle in his own way. Not that Link could really blame him.

Gale was a horse that _loved_ to be ridden. Link had always gotten the impression from all the other horses he had trained over his journey that most of them just put up with being ridden for convenience sake. They didn't _hate_ it, or even dislike it really, they just didn't really _enjoy_ having a heavy foreign body dictating where they should go. Gale though, Gale seemed to _live_ for it. By the time he'd made it back to the nearest stable to get him outfitted and registered, the horse had already bonded with him closer than any other besides Princess. By all rights _Gale_ should have been his main horse.

But…

Link looked over his pure white flank, taking in its unmarred color. His eyes flickered over the golden Royal Saddle and Bridle, carefully draped over the side of his stall and ready to be put on at a moment's notice.

He reminded him too much of what he couldn't remember.

Of course, he'd tried to not let that get to him. Gale _wasn't_ Zelda's horse from 100 years ago. There was simply no way that it was possible, not unless someone had managed to stuff a horse in the Shrine of Resurrection with him and he somehow failed to notice. Link had given him a name that had nothing to do with _anything_ involving The Hero's past, something he later realized he'd failed to do with Princess. He'd even had a stable hand dye his mane a flattering pink and purple combo that changed his appearance from something regal, to something otherworldly.

Yet every once in a while, his eyes would catch on his pure white coat and he'd inevitably think of the person everyone _thought_ he was.

Still, even with all that, he probably would have been able to work past it. Gale was a good horse, and it hardly his fault that his appearance hit a little too close to home. But Link had once lost time while riding upon his back, and when he came too, it was to a group of Guardians bearing down on him as they ventured entirely too close to the castle. After a wild race across the open fields and too many close calls to count before he managed to shake their mechanical tails, Link had turned around and boarded Gale at the closest Stable he could find. And there he'd _left_ him, until now.

It was not his proudest moment.

Gale didn't seem mad though, just restless. He kept trying to step away from him as Link attempted to brush his mane, obviously ready to _go_. Still, Link persisted, now determined to have Gale in tip top shape for the ride to Kakariko Village. He had a feeling that the princess would have a great deal less misgivings about riding the pure white horse than he did. She might even find it comforting.

And that's were Zelda found him, an hour or so later, when the sun had made its way into a much more reasonable position in the sky and people were beginning to go about their day. Link hadn't even realized she'd arrived, he was so busy attempting to buckle up the last buckle of Gale's riding gear. 

That is, until he heard a quiet “oh” from behind him.

Startled, he turned, staring at the princess who seemed to only have eyes for the horse currently trying to pull on his hair. 

Zelda's hair wasn't tangled anymore. That was the first thing that he noticed. At some point she must have found someone willing to lend her a brush, because her braids were redone as well. Her outfit was the same as yesterday, the flattering Champion's Tunic and trousers outfit, but she looked better in it today. Her shoulders were straighter, her head held higher. It probably had to do with the fact that she'd gotten her first full night of sleep in 100 years.

She looked good. She looked _human_.

Link felt himself relax.

But Zelda only had eyes for the horse.

“Oh, he's _beautiful_.” She breathed, stepping forward to gently grab Gale's face and run her hand down his nose. He snorted in her face. She laughed. 

“What's his name?” She asked, carefully running her hand through his newly combed pink and purple mane. And Link tensed right back up again. 

She… couldn't honestly expect him to answer that, right? She knew that The Hero didn't talk. Admittedly, he assumedly made the rare exception, but for something as unimportant as a name? Maybe she wanted him to write it down? He... supposed he could trace it out in the dirt, it wasn't that complex of a name.

For once in his life though, the Goddess decided to take pity on him. Just at that moment Ami, the bitter kid who was tasked with giving directions to travelers and hated every second of it, stepped around the corner of the stable.

When the kid caught side of them, he frowned, but he was always frowning so Link wasn't worried. His eyes flicked over the two of them curiously for a second, but then he took in the sight of the two horses, already outfitted and ready to go and put two and two together. He rolled his eyes.

“So you're finally taking Gale home, are you?” He asked, somewhat accusingly. Which was fair, honestly. Link _had_ left him here for far too long. 

Zelda didn't seem to catch the bitterness in the kid's words though, simply latching onto the name with delight.

“Oh, _Gale_ is it?” She exclaimed delightedly, holding the horse's head steady and pressing her forehead to his. “What a beautiful name! A beautiful name for a beautiful horse, I'm sure.”

Gale gave a proud little nicker.

“Well then!” Said Zelda, letting go of the horse and turning to give Link her full attention. “I suppose since the horses are already prepared, we might as well be off!”

Link shot her a surprised look, then glanced over in the direction of the communal cooking pot, hoping his question was clear. It must have been, because Zelda answered him promptly.

“We'll simply eat while we're on the road.” She offered him a teasing smile. “I'm sure you already have plenty of meals stored away.”

Which… was true. Link _always_ had food on him.

“Though admittedly, I still don't have much of an idea as to where we are going.” She said thoughtfully. To Link's horror, she turned to Ami. “You wouldn't happen to know what's in the area, would you?”

The little boy gave her the blankest look possible and replied in a monotone voice.

“East is Zora's Domain. West is that giant building we call a _castle_. North is like, Death Mountain and stuff.” The boy gave a giant, painfully fake smile. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“Ah, no.” Said Zelda, looking extremely put out. Link wished he could have warned her. She looked like she wanted to try to continue talking, but Link fanatically shook his head, gesturing for her to get on her horse. She frowned at him, but did so, sliding into the saddle with practiced movements while Link did the same with Princess. When they were both mounted and ready, she turned back to Ami one last time.

“We'll… just be off then. Goodbye.” She offered hesitantly.

Ami just rolled his eyes, turning away and clearly dismissing them.

“Whatever.”

And then they were off, Zelda once again letting Link take the lead as he led her down the path to Kakariko Village. Once they were out of sight of the stable, they split a couple of apples and a bottle of milk between the two of them while there horses easily ate up the distance it'd take them hours to walk on their own. As the sun warmed their backs and the wind tugged on their hair, Link couldn't help but feel like things were heading in the right direction. That everything was going to work out.

That the nightmare didn't mean anything.


End file.
